A Strangled Hope
by strawberryMIKO
Summary: She was an enigma, mysterious to the core. They deemed her an unknown-nin. Upon further investigation, they found out she was a miko, a priestess. Now they were determined to learn everything and anything about her. AU Kagome-centric / Kagome-Harem - INDEFINITE HIATUS!
1. Awakening

**A Strangled Hope**

**Summary:** They found her chained and locked up in a strange cave. Unmoving and asleep she has remained; a century passing before her very eyes. Unknown to the world, she awakens and ends up in a place she does not remember. Strange villages and odd people dressed in weird clothing. Women are scarce, almost to the point of being non-existent. A symbol of a leaf plated upon a silver headband and weapons that are far beyond that of the Sengoku Jidai. They call themselves Shinobi; Ninja to be more exact. And not only do they have an interest in Kagome, but her abilities as a miko as well. Males start becoming intrigued by her strange behavior and soon, she becomes the most wanted female alive. Of course, she is the only female alive. **AU Kagome-centric / Kagome-Harem **

**Pairings:** KagomeMulti, Kagome/Everyone, Akatsuki/Kagome

**Rating:** T for Teen. But is prone to change

**Author's note:** Okay, so here is the ultimate rewrite I promised you guys. For those of you who have read the previous version of this story, I hope you enjoy the newer version that I now present to you. There have been many changes I made to this story as my writing has improved and gotten better. I have merged chapters one and two together and edited the ending to my liking. The chapters will be longer and MUCH better than you've previously read. It took me a long while, but I've finally done it! I've done it! I've re-written the damn thing!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or Inuyasha. Both belong to their respective owners and do not belong to me.

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><p><strong>Chapter one – Awakening<strong>

_Drip, drip, drip. _

The sound of water dripping echoed against the cold stoned walls as a shuffle of light feet against a wooden floor gave way to four pairs of long legs. They were tall and lean, each adorning a bright plated headband with a leaf craved into it.

The first man was focused and his eyes looked so milky white that any normal person would of mistaken him to be blind; but that was not the case. If you looked closely, you'd see pulsating lines of bumps out-stretched from those white eyes of his. Long, cascading brown hair fell neatly behind him as his thin lips were formed into a thin line. He kept walking ahead, his enhanced vision staring down the endless corridor as he led the other three men behind him.

Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, just the same endless darkness continuing on like an endless dream. It wasn't until he felt a hand on his shoulder that he noticed he had been walking a bit further on than it was intended.

"Neji...….are you alright?"

The white-eyed Shinobi didn't stop but simply glanced back at his fellow shinobi before nodding and returning his gaze onward to the dark halls.

But the man behind him knew, that Neji –as it his name had been previously stated- had been so deep in thought, that even though the silence was nice, it was very unnerving.

The other man took his hand off Neji's shoulders and stuffed them deep into his black pants. He kept on down the hall as his spiked pony tail shot up behind him. Deep dark eyes bore themselves to the ground as he fell back in line behind Neji; his mind wandering off like the other men he was walking with. He knew why Neji was so anxious right now, he knew why they all were anxious.

_Neji…you still blame yourself for their deaths…and Tenten's too…..it's not your fault…..we all lost them. _A sigh escaped his lips as he brought his eyes back up to stare at the back that was Neji's, watching as the man's shoulders tensed but relaxed as he seemed to also be deep thought again.

Taking a glance back to the other men behind him, he caught the sight of blonde and onyx hair, their eyes seemingly empty. _Naruto, Sasuke, you two idiots. You've lost a lot too...ah man, this is too troublesome. _

Turning his gaze away from Naruto, he looked towards the raven-haired Uchiha, noticing how his dull onyx eyes were duller than usual; it was safe to guess that the young prodigy was feeling the same as his blue-eyed teammate. He simply shook his head and moved his eyes to look back at the wooden floor underfoot.

There was so much going through their minds; too many memories plaguing their every waking movement.

But they weren't always like this.

It happened so long ago, when they lost the people dear to them to a blasted sickness that spread so fast that none of the men walking now could even say goodbye, let alone do anything.

When the sickness hit, people ignored the protests of panicked men, saying how their wife suddenly collapsed after being checked out by a doctor. It was weird at first, for the sickness had only targeted women. After one female came contact with another, they would instantly get sick and die within a few weeks or even days.

It was horrible.

Not only did the men lose their friends, they lost the hope of their race ever existing anymore. _And after Ino died last year, the clans have been dwindling in numbers….if this keeps up, the village will cease to exist. _

Shikamaru let a sigh slip past his lips as his hands went to rub at his neck, a habit he had developed since he was a kid.

But as the men were so deep in thought and still shedding some grief over their lost, they instantly stopped when the hall ended, revealing a large cave-like structure with a plain wooden door attached to it. There were white strips of paper lining every surface of the door, strange kanji and foreign words written onto them.

As Neji moved to stand near the door, his pulsating eyes scanned over the odd pieces of paper, noticing how each and every kanji glowed a dim blue. It was as if they were sealing something or _someone_ inside.

"Eh? Neji, what's inside?" Naruto spoke with a questioning tone. He moved to stand next to Neji as they were in a much larger open space than before. The dark hall could no longer be seen, so the only thing that was visible was the wooden door and the mountainous structure before them.

Neji held his hand up to Naruto and kept his Byakugan activated as he tried to see inside the room. But, he found that he could not see pass the wooden door even with his Byakugan eyes. Something was definitely **off**.

"I cannot see beyond these doors…." Neji spoke in a quiet monotone. "These...seals of some sort prevent me from seeing anything beyond."

Naruto quirked his eyebrow at Neji and tilted his head at the wooden door. "They look kinda weird. How come we can't read it? It doesn't look like any Kanji I learned."

"That's because it isn't any Kanji we've learned Naruto." Shikamaru gave the whiskered blonde a deadpan look before he shifted his attention back onto the mysterious door. "It looks like the Kanji for the word 'seal'; but the way it's written is different than it's usual form." He brought a hand to scratch his chin before letting a few of his fingers rub against the old, white paper. The texture felt rough, and the edges of the seal looked to be burned or singed.

Sasuke tiled his head slightly to scan the wooden door over, his wrist resting against the hilt of his Katana. "Something must be inside. These seals are the same that were on the scroll Kakashi-sensei found."

"Ahhh! Why can't we just open the door and see what's inside!"

"Because, dobe, were not stupid like you."

"I am not stupid, teme. Who was the one who sold his soul to the pedophile? Not me!"

"I did not sell my soul to a pedophile."

"Did so."

"Did not."

"Did-"

"Stop your insistent bickering! It is rather annoying listening to you two argue."

The Hyuuga inwardly shook his head as he moved towards one side of the wooden door, a kunai within his fingers. He began slipping the sharp object under the white pieces of paper and started cutting his way up the door-frame. But as he reached the end, the seals began burning away and the door slid open –albeit slowly. The cave suddenly began rumbling, the planks of the wooden door creaking and sliding open as tiny rocks and dust filled the entrance.

"Whoa. What-"

"Shut up Naruto, before something else happens."

They each took a respective step back, their eyes on the opened door. When the dust had managed to clear out, they could distantly see something bright reflecting off the walls.

"Strange..." Neji's eyebrow creased together, a line of confusion marring his flawless features.

Shikamaru turned his eyes to look at the Hyuuga, noticing how his shoulders stiffen for just a second before they seemed to relax. But not completely so, for he stiffen immediately and suddenly began taking long strides inside the compact space through the door.

Reluctantly, the others followed suite, being mindful of their surroundings and carefully examining the area they had walked into. It was rather small, though from the outside it seemed as if a whole village could fit inside. Their eyes didn't wander too long before the bright light they saw was coming from a...girl?

Yes, it was a girl –woman, to be more exact.

It was a woman, with long cascading black hair covering the front of her face as her back was hunched over. She was in a kneeling position and her only articles of clothing were a white yukata.

A serious of glowing chains was wrapped tightly around her petite body as it seemed to twist and turn in different directions. Her slender arms were also bound by the same glowing chains but were resting neatly in her lap. But what alarmed them the most were the complicated line of seals all lined around the woman, her body being chained to the wall behind her. The seals were the same parchments of papers that were littered about the wooden door, but the Kanji seemed to be smeared and unreadable.

_Strange..._Neji thought, again. His Byakugan eyes narrowed upon inspection of the young woman, noticing that those infernal 'seals' were preventing him from seeing the woman's Chakra tubes. In fact, he wasn't even sure if she was even alive –let alone breathing.

For a moment, the four leaf-nin could say or do nothing as they stared at the young beauty before them, their eyes analyzing the series of chains bound around her and how it connected to every available surface of the ceiling above them.

A series of questions began plaguing the males mind: Who was she? Was she alive? And what was she doing down here? Or better yet….what did she do to be chained up so extensively?

But before any of them could even begin to grasp the situation, the woman began stirring from her long slumber; her fingers twitching slightly to get some feel into them. They watched, with serious expressions, as the glowing chains faded to a dark black and the ravenette begin to awaken.

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**- 999 -**

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Kagome felt like she was waking up from a long dream, one that seemed to go on forever and ever. But the dream itself was dark and black. Like a dark blanket that just wrapped around her being.

Sowly, she tried to get some feeling into the tips of her fingers as her hearing began to take in the area she was in. At the moment, the miko could not recall what was currently going on or where she was; not even why her back hurt so much. _Kami..._

"Neji…..do you think….she's…alive?..."

Kagome stopped moving her fingers now as she slowly peeled her eyes open, vision instantly blurring. The world felt like it was spinning in her eyes.

"I...do not...know."

_W-who's t-th-hat?...unnnn...is someone there? _Kagome was trying her best to clear her eyesight, in order for her to see who it was that was speaking. But her mind struggled to come to terms with her sudden awakening. _Oh Kami, my head feels like it just split in two. _The miko's head literally felt like someone got an axe and cut it in two. That's how much her head hurt.

With shaky fingers, she slowly brought them up to her forehead, mouth parting to breath deep. It was like she had just finished running a whole marathon! Her chest suddenly began to hurt and ache with pain, making her eyes wince shut momentarily.

"She seems to be regaining consciousness." A voice spoke, instantly alarming the awaking miko. She seemed to still her actions for a moment, as if waiting for them to continue. But when Kagome heard no voices speaking, she slowly raised her head to level with the room she was clearly placed in.

Blue, misty orbs were amass of swirling colors, her delicate brows furrowing in confusion. _Good Kami, what in the world?..._

Despite the amount of pain Kagome was in, her vision began to clear and the area she was in began to be clearly visible.

Four male faces soon came into view, each standing a distance away from her as they held strange weapons up in a defensive manner.

Her bright blue eyes stared at the one person who caught her interest first.

The man had long brown ebony hair, reaching just a bit below below his wirsts. His attire consisted of a dark green vest with a pair of matching pants. Across his forehead he bore a strange metal-plated head band with a leaf craved into it.

But when her eyes trailed down to his face, she noticed he had some of the most beautiful, whitest eyes she had ever seen. Tearing her gaze away from him she began to take in the other three occupants.

The person next to the pale-eyed man had slicked back black hair that was tied into a semi-high ponytail.

The other two men who were standing next to him had blond hair and the other with a deep onyx color. They each adorned the same type of uniform, -except for the blonde male, since he adorned some god-awful orange suit- and the same type of headband. But upon closer inspection of their movements, Kagome noticed that they seemed apprehensive of her. Like she was about to suddenly jump up and strike them. _Erm...what's going on?_

Kagome wanted to speak but…she couldn't…..she didn't even know what was happening….or what the hell happened to her! Through her many thoughts and questions she had, the miko almost forgot the men in the room for a second that she was brought out of her thoughts when the white-eyed male spoke towards her.

"State your name." His tone was clear and firm, not an ounce of emotion or any slight indication of his curiosity being known.

_H-huh?_ Even though she was still trying to get a hang of what was going on, Kagome decided to answer the..._**question**_...that was stated to her. "...K-Ka-agome...Hi-igurashi... "

"Kagome Higurashi," Her azure eyes were half-lidded with sleep, but she kept them aligned with the ebony-haired males orbs as he continued to speak. "Do you know who you are?"

For once in her life, Kagome, for the life of her, could not understand what the heck the man meant by that. _Wha?..._Now she was thoroughly and utterly confused, if not, more so than she originally was before.

Neji, as it so happens, knew the necessary questions to ask a person if they so happen to be unconscious –or in this case, if they were chained up and then just regained consciousness- and just waking up. One would first ask them their name, and if they knew who they were.

"Yes...I know who...I am..."

If they answered correctly –which he'd definitely know if she lied, then the next question would be if they knew where they were.

"Do you know where you are?"

She seemed to pause at this question, eyes trailing to look at the ground. There was confusion clearly about her body and practically written across her pale face. But there was also...fear?...Yes, she seemed to be scared for a moment, a brief flash of fear dawning upon her face before it quickly molded into a guarded expression.

"...I-I do not remember..."

It was true, Kagome couldn't remember. She couldn't remember anything plausible right now, not with her current state and condition. Granted, she didn't even know if she was in the right time (but she was sure she wasn't in the time since the men's clothing were seriously strange.) nor how she ended up in a strange...cave...place...thingy. Wherever the hell she was. _Why am I chained up? What's going on? Where's Inuyash-_

And before Kagome could finish that train of thought, a flood of images flashed through her mind.

_- Flashback -_

"_Kagome-chan! Wake up! Come on! You have to wake up! Stop hurting Inuyasha!..." _

_Shippou had tears in his eyes as he tugged at Kagome's loose socks. He made a side glance at an unmoving patch of silver hair, splayed all about the ground in a mess. For a moment, the young fox-demon was scared for his friend's life. _

"_Inuyasha! You have to get up! Kagome-chan isn't herself!..." _

_Oh how Shippou wished he was stronger….he wished he could do something to stop Kagome from hurting his friend…..…but he could do nothing…..nothing…_

_So all young Shippou could do now was cry his eyes out and hope that Kami can stop all the meaningless fighting. He buried his face into the crook of the hanyou's neck, his crying increasing with each second that passed. _

_How had things ended up this way? How had it ended up so badly? After all they'd been through? And why? Why? Why? Why? He lifted his shaky head to look at the miko before him, orbs littered with tears. "K-Kagome...p-please...s-stop..." His voice was but a whisper as he stared up at her with deep eyes. _

_But the miko standing only meters away held an arrow firmly in her fingers, aiming it towards little Shippou's back. Her eyes…oh her eyes…..they were so…dark. Those bright azure pools were now a dull shade of brown, and empty to the core. A trail of blood ran down her left leg, soaking her white socks with a coat of crimson. But when little Shippou turned his head back around, his eyes grew wide as a bright light shot in his direction…_

_End Flashback_

Those images that played through her mind would effectively scar the young miko for a lifetime to come. What did she do? What had happened? What was going on? _I-I d-don't understand..._

Her eyes suddenly became wide and a spark of tears leaked out from the corners of her eyes. A heavy sorrow suddenly weighed in her chest as she struggled to get a hold of herself and the emotions coming over her. God, she felt so lost and confused.

Never, in her whole life had she felt this way. Broken and lost. Sure, there had been times when she felt the emotion, but it was never this great nor did it feel so strongly.

She could feel her body shaking uncontrollably and her head begin to throb with pain. She was being overwhelmed by those images...those...memories. It was just too much for her to handle at once. She needed out. And fast. Someplace, anyplace, it didn't matter to her.

Kagome just needed to run and get away.

_I-I n-nneed to get out...and...away...somewhere...anywhere...j-just...away from them..._But she didn't know where she was or when she was. And two, there were strange men staring at her, acting as if she was some sort of prisoner or something.

Dull, misty orbs looked up at the four alarmed males before her, their figures beginning to be a blur as a flood of tears poured out from her eyes. They fell down her cheeks and against her neck, making little droplets of water circles appear on her plain yukata. She ignored the chains binding her, and the Sutra's covering her wrists and every surface of her body. She ignored the deep voices talking to her, at her, as she began to stand up, eyes still watery. She continued to ignore the warning voices shouting in her head, telling her something bad was going to happen.

She ignored everything around her.

And with a slight tug, she broke the chains that wound about her and made an immediate dash for the nearest exit.

Everything, from that point on, was a complete and utter blur.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> Next chapter is well on it's way! Please read and review! Thank you!


	2. Confused and running

**Author's note: **Kinda short chappie right here! Sorry guys! I'm particularly busy this month, so updates will indeed be VERY slow.

Also, this is basically like a brand new freaking chapter. This was not included in the original version of this story. But it is SO much better.

I also would like to note that this is an alternate universe, so everything in the Naruto and Inuyasha manga/anime did not happen the way you know it did. Just saying. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha nor Naruto. They both belong to their respective owners.

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><p><strong>Chapter two – Confused and running<strong>

Neji was the first one to react, his Byakugan eyes taking in her...empty...vessel. Wait, what? _Where are her Chakra tubes? _His mind was befuddled for just a millisecond before he produced a pair of Shuriken, flinging them towards the young woman who was now active and attempting some sort of escape.

How? He did not know.

She ducked her head down, tears still trailing down her cheeks as her eyes became glazed over with an unreadable expression. He swerved his foot around, in order to get closer to her, so he could disable the movement in her legs. But she seemed to react a bit faster than he, and was able to slip through his grasps.

Her dark locks flapped about her, nearly hiding the confusion that was tumbling about within her orbs. It was clear to him, and to the others who moved towards her moving person, that she seemed to be relying on pure instinct right now.

Which was good –for them anyway. She could not evade all of them, since they were ninja and she was obviously just an unknown-nin. No headband nor a single ounce of Shinobi gear was on her person, so they didn't know what village she hailed from. And until they could further question her, she'd be deemed as an unknown-nin. And if she made to attack them, she'd be labeled as a potential harmful individual. Of course, either way, they would be taking the woman back to the village for a possible examination (making sure she didn't have the disease and was clean), and an interrogation.

All they needed to do was render the woman unconscious.

"Sasuke! Don't-"

The next thing that happened surprised not only Neji, but the Uchiha prodigy himself. As well as Naruto and Shikamaru.

As soon as the woman slipped past Neji, Sasuke was the next one to move toward her. He took out a few Kunai, placing his fingers within the holes, and aimed it at her head. Literally. He was aiming for her head. But, she dodged them as well and spun on her heel, twisting her body to avoid the on-coming attack of his Katana. It just grazed the surface of her cheek, barely missing her eye. When he moved to slash at her neck, she ducked her head down again and appeared behind him.

And before Sasuke knew it, his whole body became immobilized, nerves tightening and eyes slightly wide with shock. He felt, for just a mere second, a series of complex jabs pound points on his person before he could not feel a single thing in his upper body. He couldn't move his arms or his head. Let alone his legs. He could still feel them, but they would not work the way he wanted them to.

It was then, that he realized, she had paralyzed a portion of his body.

But she didn't stop there, oh no, she wasn't about to stop just yet. Not in their eyes, it seemed.

After Sasuke became unable to move his body parts, Naruto and Shikamaru both made to restrain her and knock her out –before she did indeed escape. The blond shinobi's eyes were wide with shock as well, and he wore his emotions clear about his face. His hands out-reached and around her body -as she had gotten closer to him, and he planned to enclose her into a tight embrace, so he could stop her from moving. But she immediately slipped away from him and ran towards the exit. His face was the very epitome of shock, his lips letting loose a snarl of irritation.

"Argh! What the hell?"

Neji and Shikamaru made a sprint towards the hostile female, both flying Kunai and Shuriken at her small form. She had just gotten past through the door, so the weapons had missed her head by just an inch.

_She's pretty fast, and extremely small as well. If she managed to slip past both Neji and Sasuke, then she must be some type of Shinobi. But by the way she acted before doesn't fit a Kunoichi description. _The Nara had a million and one questions roaming through his head right now. He was, of course, smarter than the average Shinobi, so something as catching an unarmed female was a simple task. Despite how the events had played out rather fast, he knew for a fact that the woman was no ordinary woman.

That much was for sure.

He could tell, the minute she had awoken, that she was afraid and fearful. Afraid because they were staring at her, observing her every move. And fearful...fearful because she did not know where she was? Hm. That prediction was slightly true, but he could tell she was afraid of something else. All in all, she was being very hostile right now, which was only natural since they were probably strangers in her eyes. But everything up till now was mysterious and unknown in their eyes.

She was an enigma...something they found to be very intriguing. And by Kami they were not about to let the woman escape.

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**- 999 -**

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Kagome did not know what she was doing. She was running on pure instinct right now. Even as her feet carried her away and down a long hall, she knew she couldn't stop. Everything she had learned from roaming the Sengoku Jidai was put to full and good use. She had to survive. She needed to survive. So she could get away, faraway. Maybe someplace where she could rest and perhaps find answers.

How much time had passed since she had been asleep? Why was she asleep? Why she was placed in that chamber? Where was everyone? Where was Inuyasha?

At that specific question, Kagome couldn't help but feel a slight pain enter her chest again. She inwardly swore, cursing her shitty luck she was having right now. _Just what in the world is going on?...I need answers...and I need them now..._

Kagome's heart beat wildly in her chest, her eyes becoming swollen and her vision still a bit blurry from her crying earlier. She was running along a dark corridor, not caring where she was headed to nor if she was committing some sort of crime. All she knew was that she had to get away from those men chasing after her. The ones who she saw just seconds ago.

The strange men dressed in odd clothing and wielding odd weapons.

She could hear their footfalls just paces away from her, and despite the amount of darkness that shrouded the space around her, she could practically feel their eyes on her back. Practically piercing a hole through her chest. It was so unnerving, being chased by some mysterious men whom she didn't recognize nor knew.

One thing Kagome was sure of, they were not youkai. Not by a long shot. And even though they were all very **inhumanly** fast, she could feel nothing but a human aura surrounding them. Although, the blonde one had a very odd aura that intertwined with his human one. But then again, it was probably , she remembered battling stronger and faster youkai then them. Maybe a human village was nearby then? _If there is a nearby village, maybe I can get some answers there. _

With that confirmed in her head, Kagome increased her speed, going as fast as her body willed her to. Out of her peripheral vision though, the miko saw something headed her way. On instinct, she dived forward, twisting her body into the air just in time to dodge a trio of what seemed to be knives.

"Damn!"

She heard a deep male voice echo along the corridor, carrying it away from her ears. And just as Kagome thought the men had caught up to her, a soft light at the end of the tunnel could be seen.

An exit. A way out.

_Oh my Kami..._Her eyes widen just a fraction, mouth slightly agape as the darkness around her started to fade and the light began getting brighter and brighter. _Almost there...just a few more seconds and I'll make it out. _She could feel her adrenaline pumping through her veins, fueling her need to get away. She was driving her body to go past it's limits and just will herself to keep running and don't look back.

Don't fray for even a second. Not a single second.

_Yes, just keep going. Your almost there._ The light was getting even brighter now, almost to the point of being blinding. The miko literally had to wince her eyes shut, tilting her head to the side just so she could see where she was running. Her long, black hair fell across her face, effectively shielding her eyesight from the bright ray of sunlight.

"Stop!"

Kagome didn't though, despite the fact that she was being slightly blinded. She continued to run, even as she passed through the archway of the dark corridor, and out into a deep forest.

The sun attacked her skin upon exiting, her pale cheeks burning with heat and her orbs shutting close tightly. Kami, it was so damn bright. It was like having a flashlight continuously shine in your eyes. And that didn't exactly feel too great.

Kagome tried to shake off her uneasiness, fingers brushing away the loose strands of hair whipping at her face. She didn't have time to take in her surroundings, as she could still feel the male's aura's right behind her.

They felt close, way too close. Her footfalls were heavy against the forest floor, leaving a cloud of dirt and leaves in her wake.

The area around her began to get a bit darker as the trees started getting bigger and bigger. Almost too big to even be considered normal. A slight chill went up her spine just then as the ravenette's breath was getting heavier and heavier with each passing moment.

Man, was she tired or was she **tired**. Kagome wasn't even worried about anything other than her utmost survival. Heck, she probably looked liked shit right now, considering she didn't get a good look at appearance just yet. But hey, life over luxury, right? _Right. _

Kagome would continue running, because her survival was of the utmost importance. Whatever questions she had would obviously have to be put away for now, and her brain would need to be kicked into overdrive.

That was all that mattered at this point.

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**- 999 -**

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_I don't recognize anything. Nothing. None of this looks familiar to me. _Kagome's eyebrows knitted together and a look a fear spread clear across her face. It was true, nothing looked or felt familiar to the miko. Not the big trees looming above her, nor the tiny flowers that littered the ground. The shades of green and brown were all too different and the air felt extremely stale and stuffy.

Something was wrong, dead wrong.

Kagome could feel it in her gut that something was amiss. Her blue orbs looked around wildly in confusion, struggling to find an ounce of familiarity in the forest surrounding her. She inhaled just briefly, allowing herself to even her breathing out as to calm her mind down. _Your fine Kagome, your just fine._ Her heart stilled for a second and her eyes blinked close once. She allowed a portion of her Ki to flow throughout her body, giving her a source of strength she had probably kept hidden. _Don't lose yourself just yet, your alright. _The miko could slowly feel her body beginning to come to a calm, her lungs not struggling to find air and her calves not screaming in pain.

With her stamina being put to the test, Kagome expanded her aura about twenty feet, just enough for her to detect some type of village. She knew the men were probably still chasing her, but hopefully she could evade them till she got to a nearby village. _I'll just have to hope I can find one._ Her eyes suddenly became enhanced, the area around her flowing through her irises. She could see the trees clearly now, and they flashed through her eyes so fast that if she wasn't such a trained miko, she would only see a bunch of blurred colors.

It was times like these that Kagome thanked the harsh training she had put herself through during the years she and the Inutaichi were traveling. Of course, granted, she didn't quite understand what was happening. And every time she tried thinking about what had happened, her mind would go blank and a sense of confusion and fear enveloped her mind. It was odd, very odd. If Kagome had the chance, she would ponder on it more and hopefully be able to figure out a plausible solution to her current predicament.

_Things don't feel right. And the area doesn't feel particularly familiar either. I see nothing but trees, trees, some rocks, and more trees. Nothing-_ Her train of thought suddenly became interrupted when she felt the sudden spike in auras just meters behind her. _Crap! How did they catch up to me so fast?_ Kagome wasn't about to spare a single second to expand on that particular thought though. She increased her pace and the world around her began to blur as her body moved at an unimaginable speed.

_Faster, go faster. I can't let them catch me._

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**- 999 -**

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She was moving at a particular amazing speed, that much Neji could discern. Her pace had only sped up with each passing second, and it didn't seem as if she about to slow down just yet. This proved the notion that she was probably well-inverse with the Shinobi arts. That, or she was probably just some type of taijutsu expert, seeing as how she had immobilized Sasuke earlier. And the fact that she probably had little to no Chakra. But the Hyuuga prodigy couldn't be too sure, since for all he knew she could probably being suppressing it. There were many possibilities, all with a logical explanation that he, Neji Hyuuga, could find the answer to. For a minute, he had been shocked and quite astounded.

But of course, for someone to be able to perform as quick and delicate as that woman could, was amazing. The stance she had taken before was similar to the Hyuuga clan's gentle fist technique; but she was not a Hyuuga herself. It was quite unusual for a woman -or anyone- outside the Hyuuga clan to be able to pin point a persons weakness so quickly, since they did not have the Byukugan dojutsu. It was like she knew which points on the body to hit and spared no time in doing so.

_Peculiar thing, this woman._ With his Byakugan already deactivated, he and Shikamaru were already flitting through the trees. Since they were in Konoha's forest, his Byakugan wouldn't be needed since he knew these trees like the back of his hand. They all did. So it gave them the upper-hand. But, the woman was proving to be extremely evasive.

If she wanted to catch their attention, she had done a good job in doing so. Because now, they were determined to capture her and question her on her current abilities as a ninja. Maybe she was a rouge-nin? Or even a Missing-nin? Hm. He did not know.

"Damn she's fast." Shikamaru said in a clear monotone. Neji didn't seem to acknowledge the Nara, but he knew that he had heard him. "She seems to be headed straight for the gates."

"Then that will give us the advantage. Hokage-sama stationed Anbu as guards, since the recent onslaught of attacks we've had on the village."

Shikamaru knew this much, as both he and Neji had been present when the Hokage had called upon them early that day. She had looked tired and lifeless, a sense of lost deep within her orbs. It didn't take much for the two of them to figure out that the busty woman was exhausted.

For what it was worth, they were all exhausted.

The strategist didn't say anything else after, but simply kept his vision aligned in front of him. His dark eyes were solely focused on the tiny black blur that seemed to be a few feet in front of them –or more so, below them. They were still on a mission, one that -somehow- involved the young raventte they were currently chasing after. _She's avoiding our attacks, and us in general. I would have suspected as much seeing as how hostile we may have came off. But still...she doesn't seem to be much of a threat. If anything, she seems to be simply...confused. _

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**- 999 -**

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"Hokage-sama."

Dull, golden pools opened swiftly, eyes adjusting to the soft light being reflected in the bright room before trailing down to look at an unsigned piece of paper. A soft sigh escaped her lips a second later before she replied in a tired, but stern tone. "Yes?"

There was an Anbu kneeling on the window frame of her office, his silver hair spiking behind his porcelain dog mask. He didn't move from his spot, nor made any indication to do so until his report was made. "Team Neji seems to have returned from their recent mission and wish to speak with you immediately."

Tsunade's eyebrows rose up instantly, while propping her chin upon the back of her hand. "Is that so?" She said in a blank tone. Her eyes moved from the piece of paper in front of her to the empty room she was situated in.

"Yes. But they seem to have had trouble during the mission, Hokaga-sama. They encountered a **young** woman that proved to be rather...**difficult**."

The last word that the dog anbu spoke had effectively caught the blonde's full attention. _A Woman?_ It was spoken in a low tone, indicating that the mission didn't go quite as good as Tsunade had hoped it would. But those last words he spoke really seemed to stun her for a minute.

She had sent them on a simple C-ranked mission that required in simply searching the temple in the nearby forest. It was extremely easy and simple that even a mere Chuunin and Genin could do it. So of course the mission didn't exactly require the presence of both Neji and Shikamaru; two of the top Jounin in Konoha. But she was taking precautions nowadays, since these were dark times she was living in.

Women were dying, the village was slowly declining, and strange creatures kept making attacks on her village. All in all, Tsunade wasn't about to let guard down, not for a second. That would leave her too exposed and too vulnerable. She couldn't take any risks these days. So she knew she was smart in sending out a team of four on that particular mission. It should have been rather fast and easy, as it was just searching some strange cave said to have been abandoned centuries ago. Sure, she had expected them to encounter a few animals, but certainly not a **woman** –of all things.

_Interesting. _

"Tell them to report to my office immediately."

_Very interesting indeed._

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**- 999 -**

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Sometimes, life just wasn't fair to Kagome. It seemed that the Kami found her to be a great plaything that they put her in near-death situations.

Which she found happened to her a little too often for her liking. Of course, she expected as much, since she had been acustomed to everyday fighting due to her being a miko.

But she sometimes really got tired of always being the one who got attacked. Instead of being the attacker.

The next thing Kagome knew, she was blocking two swords with her bare hands. Her **bare **hands. The blade of the Katana's ebbed into the palm of her hand and she inwardly swore at the pain that suddenly enveloped her body.

_Curse me and my crappy luck. _Her teeth clenched shut as a trickle of blood rolled down her arms, staining her white yukata with it's crimson color. The two masked men before her kept pressing against her hand, furthering the line of blood that was soon rolling down her body. If they kept this up, she didn't know how long she'd be able to hold them off before the other four men would catch up to her.

Granted, Kagome herself could have probably handled it, since she had battled over twenty youkai all at once. But she at least had her bow and arrow back then. Now, now she was a weaponless miko with only a single white yukata to protect her. All she had to rely on was her hand-to-hand combat and her miko abilities. _If I at least had a sword, I could probably take them both on. But no...today just isn't my day..._

Kagome certainly felt like her day couldn't get much worse. She just kept getting hit with one bad thing after the other, like a never ending cycle. So what else could happen on this dreadful day? _Not much else, that's for sure. _

And as soon as those words were spoken in her mind, Kagome instantly regretted it. Just as she kicked the masked men away from her, she felt someone hit the back of her neck sharply. Her actions stilled for a second as her eyes widen in slight distortion. Suddenly her whole world was tumbling down, a burst of colors flashing through her eyes before everything was soon turning black.

And as she felt her body nearing the ground, her mind beginning to go completely unconscious, out of the corner of her eyes she spotted a patch of bright silver hair.

_Inu...ya-_

Then, nothing.

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><p><strong>Author's note:<strong> The ending was rushed because I wrote it as I just came home from work. Sorry for any grammatical errors you may have seen and read in this chapter, I have not yet had a chance to beta it. Please read and review!


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